Health Library

Starting with a baby’s very first ride home from the hospital, parents must make sure that their kids travel safely. Get the right car seat and learn how to use it correctly to help keep your child safe in the car.

Importance of Child Safety Seats

Using a child safety seat (car seat) is the best protection you can give your child when traveling by car. If you need help installing your safety seat or want to be sure you did so correctly, there are child seat inspection stations across the country. Find one near you.

Learn more about car seats.

Booster Seats

Booster seats are vehicle safety seats for kids who have outgrown forward-facing or convertible car seats but are still too small to use only a vehicle’s seatbelts.

Learn more about booster seats.

Air Bags and Kids

Air bags were designed with adults in mind. But young children can be injured or even killed if they ride in the front passenger seat and an air bag opens.

To protect kids from air-bag injury:

• The AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) recommends that kids younger than 13 years old always ride in the back seat. All passengers must have their seatbelts buckled.
• If your car doesn’t have a back seat and a child under 13 years old must sit in the front, turn the air bag off and push the passenger seat as far back as it will go. Switch the air bag back on when you remove the booster seat.